Latest news with #OntarioDisabilitySupportProgram
Yahoo
28-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Ontario won't claw back federal disability benefit
Amid growing concern from Ontarians with disabilities and their advocates, the province has announced it will not claw back the incoming Canada Disability Benefit (CDB). The CDB was passed in 2023, and the government committed $6.1 billion to it in the 2024 federal budget. Beginning in July, eligible recipients can receive up to $2,400 per year, or a maximum of $200 per month. In a news release on Tuesday, the province announced it will be exempting the federal benefit as income. That means recipients won't have money deducted from their provincial social assistance payments or entitlements such as the Ontario Disability Support Program (ODSP). Since the CDB's passage, advocates have feared the provinces and territories may claw back the benefit. As of this March, at least seven have promised not to do that, but Alberta has announced it will claw back the benefit under certain circumstances. "It was a huge concern that this was not going to make it to the people who deserve to see this benefit," said Ron Anicich, co-chair of the ODSP Action Coalition. Rabia Khedr, national director of advocacy group Disability Without Poverty (DWP), said the news from Alberta stoked fear and disappointment within the disability community. But Khedr said the Ontario government has previously taken "steps in the right direction," including its decision to increase the ODSP exemption from $200 to $1,000, giving her hope that the province would do the right thing. "I always felt strongly that, because they had committed to an earnings exemption, that there is no way they could justify clawing back a $200 federal benefit," she said. "So I'm glad that they have confirmed that today." Advocates say they still have other concerns about the benefit program, however. In order to be eligible for the CDB, recipients must be approved for the disability tax credit, and for that they must receive certification from a medical practitioner. "What we're seeing now is people scrambling to sign up for the disability tax credit," said Anicich. "Which is fine when people have family doctors, but there are two million people in this province that do not have family doctors who are just unable to access this benefit." To Khedr, the answer is to "simply cut red tape." "The folks that are in the provincial system who have already filled out medical forms and have already attested to their disability shouldn't have to complete that kind of scrutinizing process again," she said. Instead, many disability advocates have been calling for the federal government to make recipients of provincial programs such as ODSP automatically eligible for the CDB. In an email to CBC on Tuesday, a spokesperson for Ontario's Ministry of Children, Community and Social Services said it's also calling on the federal government to change the Income Tax Act to align those eligibility requirements. "We believe people who already access the Ontario Disability Support Program and meet the other eligibility criteria should automatically qualify for the CDB, rather than be required to pay $200 under the program as it is presented," the spokesperson wrote. Despite the good news on clawbacks, Khedr and Anicich still regard the CDB's maximum monthly payment of $200 as inadequate and are calling for an increase. "Ontarians with disabilities on ODSP and who qualify for the candidate disability benefits still will be well below the poverty line," Khedr noted. "And living with a disability costs at least 30 per cent above the poverty line." Khedr said recipients desperately need the financial help and will use it to improve their lives. "It means that maybe they can buy healthier food or supplements, maybe they can buy over-the-counter painkillers to manage their day so that they can even consider searching for work and improving their quality of life," she said. "It is money that will be spent on necessities of daily living." Khedr and Anicich are also calling for better collaboration among people with disabilities and their advocates, and demanded a say when decisions affecting their lives are made. "There's nothing like lived experience — 'nothing about us without us,'" Khedr said. "If they have us at the table, we will make it so easy for them to get policy right."
CBC
09-04-2025
- Business
- CBC
For these northern Ontario voters the rising cost of living is a top election issue
Social Sharing Mary Ann Beaulieu says the cost of living will be one of her top issues when she casts her vote in the northern Ontario riding of Sudbury in the federal election on April 28. "I'm on ODSP [Ontario Disability Support Program] and I'm barely scraping by with groceries, rent and everything else," she said. Beaulieu said it would make a big difference for her life if Canada's next government can either lower the cost of groceries or ensure people in her situation have more money left over after they pay for essentials every month. Dwight Ledzwa, also of Sudbury, said it's been difficult living on a fixed income with rising inflation since the COVID-19 pandemic. "Everything's going up," he said. "My pension's staying the same, not enough money. Bills. Thank God my house is paid for." Ledzwa said he plans to vote for the the New Democrats because his family has a long history of supporting that party. Yogi Johansen said he has trouble understanding why prices for essentials such as groceries and housing have increased so much since he first started working in Sudbury in the early 1990s. He said that back then it was possible for many families to get by on a single income, but now two incomes are needed to cover the basics and often don't even do that. "I don't understand, in a country where we've got everything, all the resources… the whole world needs, that we're still paying exorbitant amounts of prices for everything," he said. Campaign promises McMaster University economist Colin Mang said that after Canada's relationship with the United States, the cost of living is expected to be the most important issue for voters across the country. Mang said Canada's three major parties – the Liberals, Conservatives and NDP – all have campaign promises to address high costs. The Liberals are promising to reduce the lowest income tax bracket to 14 per cent, saving the average person up to $400 per year. While the Conservatives are countering with a pledge to drop the lowest income tax bracket to 12.75 per cent, resulting in savings of up to $900 per year. The NDP has promised to raise the amount of untaxed income from $16,129 to $19,500. The party said it would also cap the prices on certain grocery items, but hasn't offered too many more specifics. "I don't think that's a very good idea because price caps just lead to shortages," Mang said. On the housing crisis, Mang said the three parties differ in their approaches, but all want to get more homes built. The Liberals would invest $25 billion to start a standalone entity responsible for financing home building. The Conservatives would eliminate some planning restrictions and cut the GST on new homes up to $1.3 million. "Part of the problem with that, though, is that the private sector is lacking funds. They need access to more investment money," Mang said. The NDP said it would set aside more federal land for housing and would invest $1 billion over five years to build more rent-controlled homes.
CBC
20-03-2025
- Business
- CBC
Pathways celebrates 40 years of helping people find jobs, skills and confidence
Brandi Bulanda credits counsellors at the Pathways Employment Health Centre with not just helping her figure out customer service skills and Excel spreadsheets, but also with helping get her life back on track. "I've made some pretty huge life changes in the last few years," said Bulanda, 34, now a legal administrative assistant in the centre's advocacy department. The Londoner is one of about 2,300 people helped by Pathways each year. The largest employment agency in the region, it offers skills training, employment counselling and connections to more than 400 employers in southwestern Ontario. This week, Pathways is celebrating its 40th anniversary with an open house on Thursday, where it will showcase some of the training programs it offers, including in the manufacturing, construction and administrative fields. "One of the fascinating things that happens is you watch people grow in skills but also in the confidence to actually use those skills," said Paul Hubert, who has been the head of Pathways for 25 years. "You watch them come in and learn to use power tools, chop saws and skills saws and that sort of thing, but you also see them grow in confidence knowing that they know how to do something and how to effectively tell their story to an employer so they can get a job." In 2021, Pathways Skills Development merged with the London Employment Help Centre. The organization helps people looking for work, newcomers, and people who collect Ontario Works, Ontario Disability Support Program or employment insurance. "Many of our folks are people under age 30 who are looking for their first opportunity in the workforce," Hubert said. Bulanda's job journey wasn't straightforward. After graduating from high school, she struggled to settle down and maintain a job. She tried some skills training but wasn't ready. "When I first tried to connect with Pathways, I just was not ready. Life had me going in a different direction and I wasn't ready to make the changes I needed in my life," she said. "But Pathways was there for me, offering support and guidance and encouragement. When I went back in 2019 after some personal growth, I got help through what was then the London Employment Help Centre. My employment advisor helped me navigate my career options." Bulanda took an administrative clerical training program, learning Excel, PowerPoint, and Microsoft Word, as well as typing and customer service skills. "I did a two-week co-op at Big Brothers and Big Sisters of London that was pretty awesome," she said. Surrounded by job seekers from all walks of life, the Pathways crew helped and encouraged each other, Bulanda said. "I won't lie. I was not the most patient person, and I wasn't very good with my words. Completing that program helped me go from street talk to professional talk. Being surrounded by so many different people helped me have an open mind and be aware of everyone's journey. We're all there to better ourselves and get some help so we can have a life." After getting a job as an administrative assistant welcoming people to Pathways' Horton Street location, Bulanda recently got a promotion and now has her own office, fielding questions from people who call in or stop by the Dufferin Street office. Now, she sees people who resemble the unsure young woman she used to be come into the agency and leave more fulfilled. "It's a place where people find direction, community, and purpose. Over the years, I've seen countless clients come through our doors unsure of what to do next, only to leave with certifications, job offers, and a renewed sense of hope," she said. 'Tomorrow is an opportunity' The skills that people need have changed in the last decades, Hubert said, but the core of the work that Pathways does has not. "We weren't talking about AI a few years ago or about everyone needing to be computer literate. The complexity of what employers need has changed," he said. "The cost of living has gone up substantially and support has not increased at all, so the challenge of taking that first step forward has increased," Hubert said. "We talk a lot more now about mental health challenges and the impact they have on every level in society." Approaching people looking to upgrade their skills and get a job with optimism and open-mindedness is important, Hubert said. "We like to say, yesterday never defines your tomorrow," he said. "Tomorrow is always an opportunity to be different and to have a different outcome than you did yesterday. Let's not let yesterday define your future."
CBC
24-02-2025
- Business
- CBC
Disabled people in Sudbury, Ont., say benefits fall short as parties promise to increase them
By the time Sandy Stretch finishes paying for all her basic necessities, she says she has no money left at the end of the month. Stretch, who lives in Sudbury, Ont., has multiple sclerosis and is no longer able to work as a bookkeeper. Due to her disability, she relies on the Ontario Disability Support Program (ODSP) and says she now takes in about a quarter of what she did when she was working full-time. "You can't go out and do things, like you can't even partake in social things because there's no money to do that," she said. "There's no money to go places and, you know, even entertain. Even to have people over and have a nice dinner or anything like that, which makes you very cut off from society." According to Ontario's auditor general more than 500,000 people in the province rely on ODSP. Since the most recent 4.5 per cent increase in July 2024, to keep up with inflation, ODSP has topped out at $1,368 a month to cover basic needs and shelter. People with special dietary needs can receive up to $250 in additional monthly income to cover the extra costs of items such as gluten free foods. There are also funds available to help cover the costs of some medical supplies and public transportation to medical appointments. A complicated issue Charles Tossell says ODSP benefit rates are nowhere near high enough to cover the basic needs for people who rely on the program. Tossell relies on ODSP and says $1,368 a month barely covers average rent in the city. According to the Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation, average rent in Sudbury in October 2024 was $1,356 a month. In Toronto, the average is $1,852 a month, or $484 more than the benefits for food and shelter combined. The Green Party of Ontario, the Liberals and NDP have all promised to double ODSP benefits if they form the next government. The Progressive Conservatives say they would continue to increase ODSP rates with inflation every July. Tossell volunteers for the NDP in Sudbury, but he says even doubling the rates wouldn't go far enough. "I'd say take it up a notch and go to the median income averaged out," he said. Tossell says it's cheaper to increase ODSP rates than to pay for the consequences of poverty, which include more crime and hospital visits. Nadine Law of Sudbury relies on ODSP to supplement her income working part-time as the regional co-ordinator for Spinal Cord Injury Ontario. Law broke her back in 2019 and has a number of autoimmune diseases that forced her to stop working full-time. Working three days a week, she says her income is $2,200 a month. She gets an additional $750 each month from her ODSP benefits. If a person receiving ODSP makes more than $1,000 a month, their benefits are reduced by 75 per cent for every dollar they make after that threshold. If Law made only $1,000 a month she would get the full ODSP benefit, which would bring her to $2,368 in monthly income, as opposed to the $2,950 she currently receives between her work and benefits. "There's really not a lot of benefit for myself to be working, except for my mental health," she said. "What I do is really important because I know I make a difference in people's lives and my community work, so I need to continue working. That's very important to me. So I do it three days a week and give back to my community with volunteering and whatnot." Law says improving ODSP is more complicated than simply increasing the benefits. Better coverage for certain medications, she says, would go a long way to supporting disabled people and making them less reliant on the benefits. She says she is also skeptical that the Liberals, NDP and Green Party would follow through on their promises to double ODSP benefits if they were able to form government. "They certainly have good intentions, but it's giving a lot of people false hope. And because the reality is it's not going to happen," she said. "It doesn't matter what party gets in. I don't see this changing."
CBC
20-02-2025
- Politics
- CBC
Ontario Votes 2025: Hamilton Centre
Social Sharing Hamilton Centre has voted for the Ontario NDP in every election since the riding was created in 2005. This election will test how orange the lower city riding really is. Incumbent candidate Sarah Jama, a disability and anti-racism advocate, won a byelection in 2023 for the NDP, but was expelled from the party months later. She's running again — this time as an Independent. The NDP has put forward a first-time candidate, Robin Lennox, a family doctor who works with patients using substances. Members of Hamilton Centre's NDP riding association did not support her nomination and are supporting Jama. At a candidates debate on Feb. 18, Jama said she's hearing from voters that they're "really excited about moving forward with a new form of politics" that isn't about party messaging or the party leader. Lennox said she's not concerned about vote splitting between Jama and herself, as a lot of voters she's met say they'll continue to vote for the NDP. "I still see a vibrant NDP community, which is very heartening," Lennox said. The riding encompasses some of Hamilton's downtown core and runs from Hamilton Harbour to the Niagara Escarpment and between Kenilworth Avenue S. to the east and Highway 403 to the west. Over 126,000 people live in Hamilton Centre and more than half are renters, according to the 2021 census. The average individual income in the riding is about $44,600 — lower than that the provincial average of $56,300. Liberal candidate Eileen Walker and Green candidate Lucia Iannantuono also participated in the debate, which aired on Cable 14. The four candidates focused on how they'd address homelessness and high rents, and all voiced their support for doubling Ontario Disability Support Program payments. PC candidate Sarah Bokhari did not attend the debate. CBC Hamilton sent a survey to major party candidates, or their party representatives. Their responses, edited for length and clarity, are reflected below. In addition, several of the Hamilton Centre candidates participated in interviews with CBC Hamilton, to be released in coming days. Also running for MPP in this riding is Mitch Novosad with the New Blue Party and Nathalie Xian Yi Yan as an Independent. Sarah Bokhari, PC Bokhari did not fill out CBC Hamilton's survey. Her LinkedIn profile says she's an executive assistant to the parliamentary assistant. Lucia Iannantuono, Green Iannantuono, 28, studied electrical engineer and works in electronics and hardware design. She said the Green Party is the "ideas engine" of the opposition parties. "We know how to make a big impact with each MPP at Queen's Park," she said. If elected, she will push the Green Party's plan for building "missing middle housing," investing in transit and expanding Ontario Health Insurance Plan to cover mental health care and addictions treatment, among other initiatives. Sarah Jama, Independent Jama, 30, was elected MPP in 2023. Before that she was executive director of the Disability Justice Network of Ontario, taught at McMaster University and created a curriculum for disability-related history. "Party politics has left us behind," Jama said. "I have the freedom to represent the riding without being dragged into party-based arguments that often centre on Toronto." She said if re-elected, she plans to address issues related to cost of living, the environment and health care, which are "deeply interconnected." Robin Lennox, NDP Lennox, a family doctor, did not fill out CBC Hamilton's survey as of Feb. 20. Her campaign website says she launched an in-patient substance use service at two hospitals and a peer support program. She was also part of the team that opened Hamilton's first and only supervised consumption site, which the Progressive Conservative government plans to close in March. "My patients have taught me the true meaning of resilience, and they also know what it is we need to do to eliminate homelessness: low-barrier affordable and supportive housing and income assistance that moves beyond legislated poverty," Lennox said. Eileen Walker, Liberal Walker, 60, is a retired Justice of the Peace, who also worked as a social worker for 21 years. "I am concerned about our local economy, and keeping jobs in our community," she said. "I see real opportunity to improve the lives of families in Hamilton Centre."
